AMG Review of Quickstep

Stephen Cook
All Music Guide

Prior to adding duet recordings and cross-cultural jazz discs to his catalog, pianist Kenny Barron focused on hard bop combo dates during the '70s and '80s. Both as a leader and sideman, Barron displayed his considerable writing and playing skills in the company of top New York jazz musicians, refining the sound heard on classic '60s Blue Note releases by Art Blakey, Wayne Shorter, and Hank Mobley, and in the process offering a seasoned alternative to the academic work of Wynton Marsalis. One of the highlights of this fine stretch is Barron's 1992 Enja release Quickstep. Featuring a stellar quintet including tenor saxophonist John Stubblefied, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, bassist David Williams, and drummer Victor Lewis, Quickstep not only provides plenty of room for these accomplished soloists, but also showcases the writing talents of Lewis, Stubblefield, and, of course, Barron. Showing a drummer's knack for manifold arrangements, Lewis offers up the coolly complex "I Wanted to Say" and the monumental, blues-tinged piece "Big Girls," which includes a bravura solo by Stubblefield. And while Stubblefield contributes an engaging and multi-textured swinger in "Once Upon a Tme" and the moody, Shorter-esque stroller "Here and There," Barron offers up the beautiful samba "Until Then" and the fleet swinging "Quickstep." A fine modern hard bop release.